Steel, David The Elements and Practice of Rigging and Seamanship (1794)

Two volumes, quarto, with an engraved frontispiece and 94 engraved plates, many of them folding; with two working volvelles (Vol. II after p.274); contemporary calf, flat spines decorated in gilt, double leather labels; armorial bookplates of the Earl of Northesk.

Admiral Carnegie’s copy: the technology of 18th-century sailing

First edition of this classic compendium of the practice of sailing large ships: a precise record of sail practices prevalent at the close of the eighteenth century and thus an extraordinarily detailed record of the technology that fulfilled white settlement of Australia. A rare book in any case, this is an unusually good copy: most examples that we have seen have suffered from heavy use. This handsome copy has probably survived so well as it comes from the library of a naval nabob, William Carnegie, the seventh Earl of Northesk. Naval commander and hero, Carnegie was third in command at Trafalgar, commanding the Britannia in the great defeat of the French. His career culminated in his appointment as full admiral and Commander-in-chief Plymouth.

Two pages of extensive neatly written notes on blank leaves at the start of the first volume record careful details of sail settings for two ships of the line, Le Tonnant and Magnificent. The former was likely the French warship captured by Nelson at the battle of Aboukir and subsequently transferred into the Royal Navy while Magnificent was the command of Carnegie’s brother-in-law William Henry Jervis.

A modern reprint, with a foreword by Dr. Alan McGowan of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, describes it as ‘the first work published in the English language that was really designed as a compendium of the knowledge required by a seaman. As such it was aimed at the ambitious young men wishing to rise in their profession: the Midshipmen and Master's Mates in the Navy; the apprentices and would-be Mates in the merchant fleets. In the event its appeal was much wider. Its success stemmed largely from two factors established by Steel himself. First, it was aimed at those aspiring to succeed in the largest single industry in Britain - and probably the world. Second, it was essentially a practical man's guide to a practical business. Every skill that was required to be in the head - and hands - of a Master Mariner is dealt with in a logical sequence and in simple language: this is the essence of Steel's style.

‘This work was the bible for many midshipmen who joined the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The coverage includes how to make all the sails, the masts, the anchors, how to tie knots, rig the ship, and actually sail the ship. Lastly, how to fight the ship. Where Naval Architecture shows you how to build the hull, Rigging and Seamanship covers everything else which formed part of the ship as well as how to use the ship. The two volumes Quarto contain nearly 600 pages of which 150 are tables. These provide all the dimensions for Standing and Running Rigging for every type of ship in the Royal Navy in 1794. There are also tables which cover the same information for Masts and Yards, and for each and every Sail used onboard every ship, whether of the line or smaller. There are also 95 plates to illustrate the above...’.

A full text has been made available online by the Historic Naval Ships Association (http://www.hnsa.org/) who describe it as ‘a key reference for those interested in the age of Nelson... [which] will reward those that search through it to understand the technology of the era’.

The only copy located by Trove in an Australian library is that in the State Library of New South Wales (D Q79/62-63).